Barry v. Quality Steel Products, Inc.
Connecticut Supreme Court
263 Conn. 424, 820 A.2d 258 (2003)
- Written by Mary Pfotenhauer, JD
Facts
Neil and Diana Barry, and Bernard and Lynn Cohade worked as carpenters for DeLuca Construction Company (DeLuca). They were working on a platform attached to a roof by brackets designed by Quality Steel Products, Inc. (Quality Steel) and sold by Ring’s End, Inc. (Ring’s End). Some of the brackets had been installed by another DeLuca employee using nails that were smaller than recommended. The platform collapsed, injuring the four carpenters. The Barrys and the Cohades (the carpenters) (plaintiffs) sued Quality Steel and Ring’s End (defendants). The trial court instructed the jury on the doctrine of superseding cause. The jury found that Quality Steel’s brackets were defective and unreasonably dangerous, and that the defect was a proximate cause of the carpenters’ accident, but ultimately found in favor of Quality Steel and Ring’s End. The carpenters appealed, arguing that the trial court improperly instructed the jury on the doctrine of superseding cause.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Norcott, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
